


Balance

by Lanceeselhombre



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Agender Hange Zoë, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Canon Compliant, Commander Erwin Smith, Gen, Hange Zoë Being Hange Zoë, Hange Zoë is a mess, I’ll tag moblit when he enters the story, The Story of How Hange got Moblit, self-neglect, unintentional self neglect
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:28:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24076753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lanceeselhombre/pseuds/Lanceeselhombre
Summary: 1. A condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions.2. Something Hange Zoë doesn’t have.
Kudos: 5





	Balance

Levi wore a scowl on his face, one eye twitching irately as he glanced from the double doors to the clock on the wall. It was half-past six, half an hour past the start of dinner, and Shitty glasses still hadn’t shown up. Just like they hadn’t shown up to breakfast or lunch earlier in the day. Just like yesterday and the day before that, and the day before that. Ever since they had been approved to work in the lab, they hadn’t left their research once, not even to sleep, except for the few times someone got worried and checked on them. 

It had been going on for weeks at this point. Erwin had lectured them multiple times on the importance of self-care in an effort to put a stop to it, but the lessons hadn’t stuck, apparently, yet Erwin hadn’t moved on to anything more drastic. Levi suggested putting them on probation to put things in perspective, but Erwin refused to do that because Hange’s research was too valuable.

He knew that it was just an excuse. Erwin didn’t know what to do about the situation and that was why he hadn’t intervened more. He just didn’t want to admit it.

Levi’s eye twitched harder. 

Erwin glanced at the clock and sighed at the time. “Looks like Hange forgot again.” He said in disappointment as he sipped at the last of his soup. 

“Hange probably hasn’t even left the lab today,.” Mike added through a mouthful of bread. “They’ve been working nonstop since the last expedition.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me.” Erwin kept a stoic look on his face as he spoke, but Levi could tell the man was exhausted. “I like their enthusiasm, but they need some balance. Or at the very least to eat, drink, and sleep.” He commented. 

Mike hummed in agreement and swallowed his food. “Have you thought of what you’re gonna do?” 

“No, unfortunately.” Erwin replied as he put his elbows on the table and clasped his hands in front of his mouth in thought. “If I can't think of anything soon I might put Hange on probation, but I don’t think they would learn from that. They aren’t neglecting themself on purpose; they've always had trouble remembering to take care of themself. It’s just more obvious now that they’re alone all day.”

“So get them a damn babysitter.” Levi said, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed. “Or make it someone’s job to go get them three times a day for meals.”

“Or an assistant.” Mike butted in. “I’m sure they could use the help.” 

Erwin paused, considering their suggestions for a moment. “Who would be willing to work with Hange? Not only that, but who could keep up with them?” 

“Who said they had to?” Levi asked with a frown. “Just hire somebody and tell them to suck it up.”

Erwin shook his head. “You know that wouldn’t last long. If I just assigned someone they would get burnt out within the first few days.” 

“Maybe a younger scout?” Mike suggested. “A fifteen-year-old would do better than someone our age.” 

Levi scoffed. “You say that like you’re forty.” 

Mike smiled and chuckled humorously. “Being twenty-four feels really old when you’re surrounded by teenagers all the time.” He said in his defense. 

Erwin couldn’t help but smile slightly. “I suppose so.” He said thoughtfully. Switching back to the topic at hand, he said, “I’ll ask around to see if anyone would be willing to be their assistant in the morning. For now, could you go get them, Mike?” 

He nodded. “Yeah.” He put his hands on the table as he stood.

Levi kicked back his chair as he stood and began picking up his dishes. “I’ll do it. It takes forever when you do it.” He mumbled in annoyance as he brought his dishes to the kitchen and left. 

********

Levi didn’t bother knocking when he kicked the door to the lab open and walked in unannounced. Nothing moved in the dull sunlight coming from the single window on the far wall. It was quiet except for the sound of a quill scratching on parchment. 

The room smelled horribly of dust and sweat. He could feel small rocks under his shoes that had been tracked in and not swept up. Books and paperwork were strewn carelessly across the wooden bench in the center of the room, some pages bent and torn as a result. Only a small section by the middle edge was cleared off, occupied by a microscope and an unlit lantern. 

Hange sat below the window against the side of a neighboring bookshelf, alternating between reading a book and writing in a journal settled on their lap. A container of ink was on the floor beside their hip, obviously unwatched, as several drops of ink stained the floor and part of their pants black. They even flinch when he kicked the door.

Levi approached them and scrunched up his nose as the smell of sweat grew overpowering in their proximity. He mentally reminded himself to threaten them to take a bath later and tried not to breathe too deep. 

“Hey, four-eyes.” He said, more than loud enough to be heard while standing right in front of them, yet he received no response. He sucked his teeth in annoyance, the. kicked them in the thigh to get their attention. 

Hange jolted at the unexpected blow, accidentally knocking the journal off their lap. They quickly snapped out of it and scrambled to catch it before the fresh ink could smudge, dropping the book and quill in the process.

“Hey!” They shouted indignantly, checking their journal for damage. Once they deemed the object unharmed they glared up at him, wanting to know who had so rudely disturbed them. Instantly, the expression on their face changed from annoyed to delighted when they saw who it was. “Oh, hello Levi! What are you doing here?” They greeted cheerfully, smiling. 

Levi frowned, unamused. “You missed dinner.” He said simply. 

Hange’s smile fell and their eyes widened. “What time is it?” They asked, quickly looking up to the window to guess the time from the amount of light left in the sky. There wasn’t much. 

“Too late for you to still be in here.” Levi said shortly. “Get up.”

They sighed. “Fine. I’m almost done with this entry, just gimme a minute and then I’ll go eat.” They said, sounding unrushed yet oddly bothered as they picked up the quill and started writing again. 

Levi didn’t stop to ponder their tone as he snatched the journal from their hands. He never understood what they said or did half the time anyway. 

Hange tried to take it back, but he held it out of their reach. “Levi! Give that back!” They complained, doubling their efforts, but they just couldn’t reach from their place on the floor. After a moment of fruitlessly trying to reclaim the journal they gave up and sat back against the bookshelf in defeat, crossing their arms and looking up at him exasperatedly. 

Levi rolled his eyes at the display. “You’ve been here all day; it can wait.” He emphasized his statement by kicking their thigh again. “Get up.” He growled.

Hange jumped and held their leg protectively. “Ow! Walls, you don’t have to be so rude.” They complained before quickly getting to their feet so he couldn’t kick them again. 

He held the object out for them to take once they stood up. “Just put your stuff away so we can leave.” 

Hange reached out to take it back from him. “Fine-“ They said before gasping suddenly, cutting themself off. A hand darted down between their legs as they pushed past him and ran out of the room. A second later a door slammed shut further down the hallway.

Levi rolled his eyes. They hadn’t even gotten up to piss, apparently. 

He bent down to pick up the items Hange left on the floor and put them on the bench. His eyes flickered to the mess that had taken it over, then to the dirty floor, and grimaced. Disgusting. 

The image would haunt him all night if he didn’t do something about it.

********

An hour later, Levi had subdued the mess in the lab enough to finally leave the room. He shoved all of the books back on the shelves in alphabetical order, scrubbed the bench down, and swept the floor. He was still horribly aware of the dust sitting on the bookshelves and the window, the ink staining the floor, and only the walls knew what else, but he had yet to chew Hange out like he’d been itching to do and that was higher on his priority list. That, and the sun had officially set, making it too difficult for him to continue cleaning in the dark. The almost-empty lamp on the bench hadn’t helped much.

He put the cleaning supplies away and closed the door to the lab, then headed to the dining hall. Even after an hour, he knew Hange would still be there. 

Laughter echoed in the halls as he drew closer. He scowled, only growing more irritated at the joyous sound. How dare they pretend that everything was fine and dandy after they’d been forcefully separated from their work for the fourth time this week so they didn’t keel over from self-neglect?

Turning the corner into the dining commons, he was met with the sight of Hange animatedly babbling about their work, dinner only half-eaten. Erwin and Mike were still there, listening to them go on and on without trying to redirect them back to their food. Levi grit his teeth. Really? Shitty glasses hadn’t eaten all day and they weren’t even trying to get them to finish their plate?

Erwin noticed him come in and turned his head slightly to look at him. Their eyes met and the blond shook his head discouragingly, having recognized the irritated look on his face. Levi gave a deadpan glare in return, to which Erwin only sighed in defeat. Mike glanced between them briefly before returning his attention to Hange.

Despite the obvious interaction, Hange didn’t notice Levi come in and continued talking. “Do you think that one day we could capture a Titan and take it back to headquarters for experimenting? I know it would be hard to do but just think of the things we could learn! There’s only so much you can learn by observing them outside the walls. We could test if they’re really solar powered! We could-“

“No one wants to hear your experimental fantasies, shitty glasses.” Levi said as he finally walked over to the table and sat down with them. “Hurry up and eat. It’s late, some of us would like to sleep.” 

Hange sighed at the interruption, undoubtedly upset at being cut off, but relented and took a bite of their bread. “You’re cranky today.” They commented with their mouth full.

Levi stared at them with an unamused expression. “Just eat.” He growled, not in the mood for their usual antics tonight. 

“Whatever you say, cranky.” 

He felt his eye beginning to twitch again in irritation, but he chose to not respond to that. He knew that bantering with them would be pointless. Instead, he settled for a fixed glare, figuring it would convey his annoyance well enough. 

Now that they were in the light, he noticed just how filthy Hange was. Their pants and shirt weren’t even white anymore due to how long it had been since they were last washed, and the black stains on their hips were even more noticeable in the light. Their boots were dusty, covered in dirt, and their leather jacket had a mysterious stain across the breast that looked old and crusty. They were still wearing their field goggles, the lenses of which were so smudged that they probably couldn’t even see out of them. Their hair was a tangled, oily, dirty mess that definitely hadn’t been washed or brushed in weeks, and their face and neck were a shade darker than they were supposed to be due to all the dirt covering their skin. 

The smell that all that dirt, oil, sweat, and grime created was absolutely rancid. 

“When was the last time you bathed? Or at least changed your clothes?” Levi asked, absolutely disgusted. 

“Don’t remember.” They answered nonchalantly.

“That’s disgusting.” 

Hange bit off an obnoxiously large hunk of bread so big that they couldn’t respond, purposefully staring off into space. He could almost hear the unspoken ‘I don’t care’ coming from the action. 

Words could not describe how much that pissed him off.

“It’s unhealthy to go so long without bathing, Hange.” Erwin scolded gently before Levi could say anything. “You need to clean up soon.”

They waved a hand dismissively in his direction. “I’ll remember to do it eventually.” They said once they’d swallowed the food in their mouth.

Levi frowned and glared at them. “If you haven’t bathed by the next time I see you, I’ll do it myself.” 

Hange choked slightly on a piece of bread before they burst out in laughter. “Oooh!” They cooed sarcastically, obviously not taking his statement seriously at all. “I’d like to see you try shorty.” They challenged him with a smug smirk.

Levi’s gaze narrowed. They’d regret those words. 


End file.
